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Book Details
Abstract
All professionals need strong interpersonal skills as they are a fundamental requirement in any business environment. This book specifically addresses the application of those key skills within professional job roles and the IT industry. It forms a comprehensive and practical reference manual relevant to a huge variety of situations. Topics include: building rapport; team working; leadership; negotiation; managing conflict; presentation skills; coaching and mentoring; and problem solving.
All professionals need strong interpersonal skills as they are a fundamental requirement in any business environment. The importance of these skills cannot be overstated in today’s business world particularly in the light of current economic conditions. Numerous books cover interpersonal skills, but none specifically address their application within professional job roles, in particular those within the IT industry. This book fills that gap, providing guidance on all of the key skills and forming a comprehensive reference manual that will be relevant to a huge variety of situations. Topics include: building rapport; team working; leadership; negotiation; written communication; managing conflict; presentation skills; coaching and mentoring; problem solving.
In today’s world, technical excellence is no longer enough to succeed. Whether you work in IT or any other part of your organisation, knowing what makes people tick is essential. This book does an excellent job of describing how people work together and what motivates them in practical ways that can be put to work immediately.
Donald H Taylor
Philippa Thomas is Director of The Celyn Group and has specialised in learning and development for twenty years. Debra Paul and James Cadle, both of Assist Knowledge Development Ltd, are the authors of the bestselling BCS publications Business Analysis and Business Analysis Techniques.
This book provides a practical insight into the complex interfaces and relationships between people, technology, and the changing business landscape. It is a useful guide for managers and employers alike because without the 'human touch' nothing is possible in the world of work
Ann Brown
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover | Cover | ||
| Copyright | iv | ||
| CONTENTS | v | ||
| LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES | ix | ||
| AUTHORS | xi | ||
| FOREWORD | xii | ||
| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS | xiii | ||
| ABBREVIATIONS | xiv | ||
| 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL SKILLS | 1 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 1 | ||
| THE IMPORTANCE OF PEOPLE | 1 | ||
| CATEGORISING PEOPLE | 2 | ||
| THE SENSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL | 3 | ||
| THE NATURE OF BUSINESS CHANGE WORK | 4 | ||
| CATEGORIES OF SKILL | 4 | ||
| THE HUMAN TOUCH | 6 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 6 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 7 | ||
| 2 BUILDING RAPPORT AND SUSTAINING RELATIONSHIPS | 8 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 8 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 8 | ||
| THE NATURE OF RAPPORT | 9 | ||
| WHY RAPPORT IS SO IMPORTANT IN WORKING RELATIONSHIPS | 10 | ||
| THE BUSINESS CONTEXT FOR RAPPORT | 11 | ||
| THE PSYCHOLOGY OF RAPPORT | 11 | ||
| TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING AND SUSTAINING RAPPORT FACE TO FACE | 12 | ||
| TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING AND SUSTAINING RAPPORT OVER THE PHONE | 18 | ||
| TECHNIQUES FOR CREATING RAPPORT VIA EMAIL | 19 | ||
| HOW TO DESTROY RAPPORT | 20 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 21 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 21 | ||
| 3 TEAM WORKING | 23 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 23 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 24 | ||
| GROUPS AND TEAMS | 24 | ||
| TEAM ROLES | 27 | ||
| TEAM DEVELOPMENT | 33 | ||
| MANAGEMENT AND TEAM BUILDING | 35 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 39 | ||
| CHAPTER REFERENCES | 39 | ||
| 4 NEGOTIATION AND CONFLICT | 41 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 41 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 41 | ||
| TYPES OF NEGOTIATION SITUATIONS | 42 | ||
| NEGOTIATION OUTCOMES | 43 | ||
| THE ‘GETTING TO YES’ APPROACH | 45 | ||
| PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL NEGOTIATION | 48 | ||
| MANAGING CONFLICT SITUATIONS | 58 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 60 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 61 | ||
| 5 LEADERSHIP | 62 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 62 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 62 | ||
| WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? | 63 | ||
| HOW LEADERSHIP DIFFERS FROM MANAGEMENT | 64 | ||
| THREE KEYS TO EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP | 65 | ||
| THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP | 66 | ||
| LEADERSHIP STYLES | 67 | ||
| THE MODELS | 68 | ||
| LATERAL LEADERSHIP | 79 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 80 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 81 | ||
| 6 INFLUENCING | 83 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 83 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 84 | ||
| INFLUENCE VERSUS POWER | 84 | ||
| STARTING OUT: DEFINING OUR CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE | 85 | ||
| INFLUENCING AND THE THREE UNIVERSAL HUMAN GOALS | 87 | ||
| CIALDINI’S ‘SIX PRINCIPLES OF INFLUENCE’ | 88 | ||
| THE OUTCOME FRAME | 90 | ||
| QUESTIONS: THE GOLDEN KEY TO INFLUENCE | 92 | ||
| INFLUENCING ACCORDING TO SOCIAL PREFERENCE | 94 | ||
| THE INFLUENCING PROCESS | 99 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 100 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 100 | ||
| 7 WRITTEN COMMUNICATION | 102 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 102 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 102 | ||
| THE PROS AND CONS OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION | 103 | ||
| THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS AND THE BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION | 104 | ||
| PLANNING THE WRITTEN COMMUNICATION | 107 | ||
| TYPES OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION | 108 | ||
| A PROCESS FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION | 112 | ||
| THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF WRITING | 113 | ||
| WRITING STYLE | 114 | ||
| ASSESSING READABILITY: THE ‘FOG INDEX’ | 116 | ||
| EMAIL: PERILS AND PITFALLS | 117 | ||
| WRITING FOR THE WEB | 120 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 121 | ||
| FURTHER READING | 121 | ||
| 8 PRESENTATION SKILLS | 122 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 122 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 122 | ||
| PLANNING THE PRESENTATION | 122 | ||
| DEVELOPING THE PRESENTATION | 126 | ||
| SPEAKER’S NOTES | 127 | ||
| PRESENTATION AIDS | 129 | ||
| DELIVERING THE PRESENTATION | 134 | ||
| THE TEAM PRESENTATION | 138 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 139 | ||
| FURTHER READING | 140 | ||
| 9 COMMERCIAL AWARENESS | 141 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 141 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 142 | ||
| WHAT IS COMMERCIAL AWARENESS? | 142 | ||
| MAKING SENSE OF THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT AND THE MARKET | 143 | ||
| MAKING SENSE OF THE ORGANISATION | 148 | ||
| APPRECIATING CULTURE | 152 | ||
| FINANCIAL LITERACY | 157 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 158 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 158 | ||
| 10 COACHING | 160 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 160 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 160 | ||
| WHAT IS COACHING? | 161 | ||
| DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN COACHING, MENTORING, COUNSELLING AND TRAINING | 161 | ||
| THE BUSINESS CONTEXT FOR COACHING AND ITS BENEFITS | 163 | ||
| THE KEY QUALITIES AND SKILLS OF A MANAGER–COACH | 165 | ||
| A PROCESS FOR COACHING | 167 | ||
| A SIMPLE STRUCTURE FOR AN INFORMAL COACHING SESSION | 168 | ||
| FORMAL COACHING: THE STEER MODEL | 169 | ||
| FORMAL COACHING: THE GROW MODEL | 169 | ||
| USEFUL COACHING QUESTIONS | 171 | ||
| COACHING PITFALLS | 173 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 173 | ||
| 11 MANAGING EXPECTATIONS | 175 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 175 | ||
| FOCUS OF THIS CHAPTER | 176 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 176 | ||
| CATEGORIES OF EXPECTATION | 176 | ||
| SOURCES OF EXPECTATIONS | 177 | ||
| A PROCESS FOR MANAGING EXPECTATIONS | 182 | ||
| MONITOR THE EXPECTATIONS | 188 | ||
| POSITIVE USE OF EXPECTATIONS | 189 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 189 | ||
| FURTHER READING | 189 | ||
| 12 FACILITATION | 190 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 190 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 190 | ||
| WHY FACILITATION IS IMPORTANT | 191 | ||
| THE ESSENCE OF FACILITATION | 191 | ||
| ROLES IN A FACILITATED EVENT | 192 | ||
| STRUCTURE OF AN EVENT | 194 | ||
| THE ELEMENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL FACILITATION | 196 | ||
| PREPARATION AND PLANNING | 198 | ||
| EFFECTIVE FACILITATION BEHAVIOURS | 201 | ||
| WORKSHOP TECHNIQUES | 203 | ||
| PARTICIPATION PREFERENCES | 209 | ||
| THE BENEFITS OF EFFECTIVE FACILITATION | 211 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 212 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 213 | ||
| 13 CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING | 214 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 214 | ||
| CONTENTS OF THIS CHAPTER | 214 | ||
| DEVELOPING CREATIVITY | 214 | ||
| CREATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING PROCESS | 216 | ||
| IDEA GENERATION TECHNIQUES | 225 | ||
| DE BONO’S SIX HATS | 231 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 234 | ||
| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING | 234 | ||
| INDEX | 235 | ||
| Back Cover | 238 |